Environmental Conservation in Sri Lanka

Nurturing the natural world and making a positive impact while travelling is more important than ever. This volunteer project is the opportunity of a lifetime, granting you the chance to immerse yourself in Sri Lanka's breathtaking scenery and get involved in a variety of eco-initiatives.

Sri Lanka truly is a natural paradise, and as a volunteer, you can help preserve these gorgeous landscapes for generations to come. From planting new trees to creating artificial coral reefs and building materials that support the environment, every single effort counts on this project. And it's all under the guidance of our incredible local team.

Below is a taster of the activities you will be involved in as a volunteer from Mondays to Fridays. Please note that this can be subject to availability and change depending on the season and the critical needs of the programme.

• Mangrove and rainforest restoration: set inside the Koggala Lagoon and Kottawa Rainforest. Volunteers will plant new seeds in the nurseries, monitor and nurture the growth of the baby mangroves, and plant these new trees when they are ready.
• Educational sessions: volunteers will be involved in community workshops to share knowledge on the importance of recycling and environmental protection.
• Upcycling material: volunteers will get creative and make materials or decorative items that can be used at the volunteer house, or donated to local schools and neighbouring communities.
• Organic farming: volunteers will spend time in the project's garden helping to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Planting new seeds, maintaining the nursery, making organic compost, monitoring crop growth, and building organic fences are the activities you will get up to.
• Coral reef restoration: volunteers will build artificial coral reefs which are then placed in the shallow areas of the ocean. Research has demonstrated that artificial reefs can create a stable habitat for the plant and animal organisms typically found on a natural reef.
• Beach cleaning: volunteers will help to keep the beaches pristine with beach clean-ups, and then segregating the plastic, glass and organic waste materials for recycling. This activity rotates around different beaches within the local area.
• River cleaning: volunteers will ride in canoes to help clean small parts of the river, while being surrounded by breathtaking paddy fields. Life jackets, canoes, oars, scooping nets and waste collection bags are all provided.
• Reef cleaning: volunteers will work together with divers to collect trash and raise awareness of the importance of reef restoration.
• Forest cleaning: volunteers will help out in removing litter, invasive species and pollutants from the ecosystems.
• Tree planting initiative: as part of this project, volunteers will educate and inspire the younger generation on the importance of protecting native wildlife and planting more trees.

Upon arrival, a detailed orientation tour around Galle, as well as health and safety and culture training is provided. Throughout your entire time here, you will be in the safe hands of our incredible local team. This is the case for every single activity, whether it is project-related or operational. Our project coordinator is there to provide project-specific training and a guide to all the project-related activities of the day. Local transportation to and from the project is included every day.

Both projects are an incredible chance to work with a professional team abroad and create a positive impact on the local wildlife and their habitats. This project is more focused on nature conservation and broader environments. If you would like to work with animals, our Sri Lanka Turtle Conservation trip could be perfect for you.